


Tourmaline

by TheFireGamerHD



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-22
Updated: 2017-04-23
Packaged: 2018-10-22 12:20:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10696899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFireGamerHD/pseuds/TheFireGamerHD
Summary: When Steven and Peridot drill to the center of the Earth, they fuse and form Tourmaline. There's just one small problem. She can't unfuse. Follow her adventures as a new member of the Crystal Gems and as she tries to figure out how to unfuse. (All credit to AngeliccMadness on DeviantArt for drawing the character I based Tourmaline's appearance off of) Cross-posted from fanfiction.net





	1. Stuck

"Steven?! Do you have any last words?!" Peridot shouted over the crashing and banging of the drill.

"I love you Peridot", Steven said hugging her.

"Wow thanks", said Peridot, tears in her eyes.

She held onto the controls a minute longer before hugging him back. The crashing continued and the lights flickered as Steven and Peridot were engulfed in a pink and green light. In their place sat a brand-new gem.

"Steven?", she called out. "Peridot?" she asked quieter. "Wait, did we...?" "WE FUSED!" she said excitedly.

The new fusion had light red spiked hair and her visor was shaped like half of a star. She had no extra limbs and had Steven's skin color. Her eyes were also light red and she wore a maroon tank top with yellow lines that stopped above the Rose Quartz gem in her navel. Her shorts stopped just below her waist, but she had what looked like pant legs that started at her knees and stopped at her ankles. Both Steven and Peridots' gems were tinted a darker shade of pink.

"Tourmaline," she said, the name appearing in her mind. "That's who we, I, am now…" She was brought back to her senses by the noise made by the Cluster as it struggled to take its form.

"Ok," she said, a determined expression on her face. "Let's do this." The drill dove down to the Cluster and began to...well...drill. But just as the drill had started drilling, Tourmaline felt a wave of pain flash through her head. She groaned and glanced around.

Nothing, so she continued on. "Activating triple-tip penetration mode!" she said to herself as she pushed a button to her left. The single drill then split into three, but this seemed to make the pain worse.

Tourmaline glanced outside and saw what could only be described as ghostly sad faces floating up towards her. She shrieked in fear, causing one of the drills to break off.

"We're fine. I'm fine." She said, trying to calm herself. But only seconds later, the same thing happened until there was only one drill left. "I... don't...know...if it's going to...hold!" She said as the cockpit was thrown around in circles.

Then again, she saw the faces, only this time, the drill disappeared, and she was left floating in an endless void. She then fell unconscious.

Moments later, she woke up, still floating in what seemed like nothing.

"Hello?" she called. The only response was what sounded like a bunch of voices whispering. "The Cluster?" She wondered aloud. "I'm talking to the Cluster?!"

The voices continued, but this time they were all saying the same thing: "Have to, want to, need to…" This repeated over and over. "Please don't form and destroy the Earth!" she said. "FORM! NEED TO FORM!" The voices yelled simultaneously. Tourmaline covered her ears and squeezed her eyesshut.

"STOP!" she yelled. The voices quieted down and Tourmaline tried to think. "I can't drill anymore...so how am I supposed to save Earth?" she wondered.

"I could bubble the shards, but that would take forever…" She sat thinking. Unfortunately, her only option seemed to still be bubbling. "Ok, here goes…" she said as she started bubbling gem shards. After the fifth she started to get tired.

"Please!" she called into the darkness, "I can't do this alone!"

For a moment, nothing happened, but then bright white lights shone all around her and she jolted awake in the drill.

She looked outside as hundreds of bubbles appeared around the Cluster. She slumped down in her seat as the Cluster became full enveloped in a multicolored bubble.

"Ok." she thought. "That was...fun...but I think it's time to unfuse."

Tourmaline closed her eyes, but when she opened them nothing happened.

"Uh...unfuse?" she asked, unsure why she couldn't unfuse.

Then she noticed something. Steven and Peridot's voices. Through this entire adventure from the moment they fused Tourmaline had heard their voices in her head, whether to destroy the Cluster, whether to help it and so on. But now...just quiet.

" _That can't be good_." She thought.

" _Garnet can help. She'll know what to do_."

She tried to take comfort in that thought, but it somehow made her even more uneasy. She piloted the drill back to the surface, where she lay in the barn a while before hearing the warp pad activate.

She got up and walked out to the gems. " _Ok keep cool. Just tell them you don't want to unfuse yet_." she thought. "Hey...guys", she said uneasily.

The gems looked at this new gem they had never seen before. Garnet saw both the Rose Quartz and Peridot gem and understood immediately.

She broke into a huge grin and hugged Tourmaline. "Garnet?" asked Pearl. "Why are you hugging a complete stranger...wait." she said noticing the two gems on Tourmaline.

"Did you two fuse?!"

Tourmaline nodded. "Wha-how?" asked Pearl in shock.

"Who cares?" said Amethyst. "Peri finally got over her fusion fright!" "Yes, that's all good and well, but you two should unfuse this instant." said Pearl quickly. "Hold on Pearl. If they want to stay like this for a while, let them." said Garnet, looking knowingly at Tourmaline. "But Garnet!" protested Pearl.

"Did you stop the Cluster?" asked Garnet, ignoring Pearl. "Yeah. We-I bubbled it." answered Tourmaline. "How on Earth did you bubble that whole thing?!" asked Pearl.

"I had a little help." Said Tourmaline grinning.


	2. Lapis

The next day, Tourmaline sat outside the barn with the Gems. She began by describing her adventures underground.

She talked about how Steven and Peridot were attacked by fusion experiments and how they fused to form her. She talked about how she talked to The Cluster and bubbled it with help from the shards. Garnet was smiling the entire time, Pearl continued to feel awkward and Amethyst would poke Tourmaline at random intervals to try and get a reaction from her.

After her explanation, she went into the barn where Lapis lay unconscious. Tourmaline wanted to wait until Lapis woke up, but ended up falling asleep next to her. In her dream, Tourmaline was floating in what seemed like an endless abyss.

" _Am I... talking to The Cluster again_?" she wondered. Her thoughts of The Cluster were interrupted by a Gem larger than Tourmaline floating towards her.

It was pink with green highlights here and there. "What-the?" she asked aloud.

She looked at the Gem closely and, to her horror, could see the forms of Steven and Peridot still hugging each other inside. They weren't moving. Tourmaline punched the Gem with all her strength, but was hit with a sharp pain in her own Gems. " _Ok,_ " she thought, " _note_ _to self: don't punch giant floating Gems_."

Before she could do anything else, she woke up. It was night time. Tourmaline looked up to see Lapis standing in the hole in the side of the barn.

"Lapis?" she asked cautiously, not knowing how Lapis would react to her.

Lapis turned around with a look of mixed confusion and fear. "Who are you? How do you know me?" asked Lapis. "Well...I don't, but Steven and Peridot do, so I do...i-it's hard to explain, really. You see-" started Tourmaline. "Wait where is Steven?" Lapis interrupted.

"That's what i was trying to tell you. Steven and Peridot...well...they...fused. I'm Tourmaline." said Tourmaline. "WHAT?!" Lapis asked in horror. "Steven actually fused with that awful Homeworld Gem?!"

"She's not awful anymore," Tourmaline answered. "She changed for the better. But it's good to see you on your feet. Steven was worried you weren't coming back." Lapis didn't know how to respond to that statement. Here was a fusion of her most trusted friend, and her most hated-well, second hated-Gem.

For a moment, Lapis thought she should give Tourmaline a chance- " _No,_ " she thought, " _I can come back when they're unfused and talk to just Steven._ " Lapis flew off before she could say anything else.

"WAIT!" shouted Tourmaline. But Lapis was long gone.

" _I guess I shouldn't be surprised._ " Tourmaline thought. " _After her_ experience _as Malachite and being jailed_ _by Peridot, why should she give me a chance?_ " But it still hurt her to think that Lapis hadn't even considered giving her a chance.

Later that day, Greg came by to pick up Steven's stuff. Tourmaline was surprised at how well he reacted to her. But Greg was just happy that Steven could trust Peridot enough to fuse with her. "Ok, that's everything," said Greg. "Do you need a lift?" he asked Tourmaline.

"Oh, uh, thanks, but I'm gonna stay a bit longer." Tourmaline answered. "Are you sure?" Greg asked. "You know you don't have to be shy. You are half my son after all." he said grinning. "Thanks, but I can warp back to the Temple." Tourmaline said.

"Ok," said Greg. "but if you ever need advice, or you just want to talk, you know you can come to me, right?" he asked. "Wow-thanks." Tourmaline answered, tears in her eyes. She hugged Greg and then walked away from the barn, lost in her thoughts.

The Gems (with some objections from Pearl), said that she could stay at the Temple for a bit if she wanted. She appreciated that, because really, she had no-where else to go. She walked toward the silo, and climbed the ladder up to the top. What she found surprised her.

Lapis sat looking at the sky, thinking about Malachite and Jasper and everything else. What was she thinking? She couldn't go home now. Not after what had happened. But it wasn't long before she saw her again. Them? It? She didn't know what to think of Tourmaline.

"What do you want?" Lapis asked.

"Well, I want to help you, but I actually came up here to think." Tourmaline answered.

Lapis laughed bitterly. "Why would you want to help me? One of your "halves" put me in a cell and took me back to this stupid rock."

"Hey, Earth isn't stupid." Tourmaline said. "I also want to remind you that one of my "halves" is Steven. The one who freed you? Was your beach-summer-fun-buddy?" Tourmaline said, trying to get Lapis to open up to her.

"Can't you just unfuse so I can talk to Steven? What's the point of staying like that?"

Lapis asked. "Um...well...you see the problem is...uh...I uh, can't." Tourmaline stuttered.

"What do you mean "can't?"" Lapis asked warily. "I... don't know..." Tourmaline answered. "I tried after I stopped The Cluster, but I couldn't. I can't even hear Steven or Peridots voices anymore." "WHAT?!" Lapis said scared that her most trusted friend was gone. "Isn't there something you can do?!"

"Well...no. Not really. I'm just gonna have to...figure it out I guess." Tourmaline said slowly. Lapis sighed. "Hey, but that doesn't mean I can't help you." Tourmaline said, trying to brighten the mood.

"How can you help me?" Lapis asked annoyed. "I have nowhere to go and the one person that could've helped is gone." "Hey, he's half of me. I can help you find a place to stay." Tourmaline said, glad Lapis would at least tell her what was wrong. Tourmaline thought for a moment. "Hmm, well, no- one's using the barn." she said. "You could stay there if you want. I'm sure da-Greg, Greg would be fine with it."

Lapis considered it for a moment. No-one to bother her, and she got a home. "Ok fine." she said standing up.

" _She really isn't that bad._ " she thought. "And Tourmaline," she said turning to her, "Thanks." Tourmaline smiled. "No prob. Bob." She joked. "It's Lapis." Lapis said before taking off into the barn. Tourmaline walked to the warp pad, glad that she could help.


	3. Fights and Rubies

It had been a few days since Tourmaline had offered to let Lapis stay in the barn. She took the Gems' offer and stayed in Steven's room for the time being. She kept thinking about Lapis and the Gems. She knew Garnet was happy, and she obviously knew enough to give Tourmaline some space.

Amethyst treated her like she had Steven, while Pearl...well, Pearl always seemed to have something to do or somewhere to be.

Today was different though. Pearl walked into the house and sighed. "Tourmaline?" she asked. "Y- yes?" Tourmaline answered from Steven's bunk, surprised Pearl wanted to talk to her.

"Garnet-I mean-I-think, we should have a training session today. You are a new fusion after all. We need to know what you're-ah-capable of..." Pearl replied, a bit quickly. "B-but-" started Tourmaline. "THERE! She doesn't want to!" said Pearl almost happily. "Pearl." said Garnet calmly walking into the house.

"But she-" "No "buts" Pearl." Garnet responded.

"Ok fine. Could you _please_ come to training? There I said it." said Pearl. Glaring at Garnet. Tourmaline, not wanting to continue this silent argument between Pearl and Garnet, responded with a quick "Ok."

After a quick warp to the Sky Arena, Pearl began.

"As Steven knew how to fight, but Peridot didn't, we're going to start easier." Tourmaline breathed a sigh of relief.

She had some of Steven's memories, and she didn't want to fight on such a hard level. "Ahem," said Pearl, summoning at least 10 Holo-Pearls. "Level 4, Basic Attack Pattern-Initiate." "BEGINNING!" said the Holo-Pearls in unison.

They began to run at Tourmaline. " _HOW IS_ _THIS EASY?!_ "she thought.

Tourmaline didn't want to fight, she didn't want to be here, she didn't-when suddenly, in a bright flash, a maroon, glowing diamond-shaped shield appeared in front of her. The Holo-Pearl's weapons glanced off and Tourmaline was left crouching on the floor. But before she could even think, the Holo-Pearls came back.

" _Ok,_ " Tourmaline thought. " _If they want a fight, they'll get one!_ " Then she noticed her visor lighting up. A heads-up-display appeared in front of her.

She could see how fast the Pearls were running, what they were made of, what their next attack pattern would be, and a whole lot of other information, right on her visor. She glanced up at them, and prepared to throw her shield.

A message appeared on her visor: _**CALCULATING THROW...100%: ANGLE AND VELOCITY CALCULATED. THROW WHEN READY.**_ A visual dotted line through the Pearls was shown, and with a quick adjustment, she threw her shield at them. It began spinning and cut through all Holo-Pearls in one slice.

The shield then came back to Tourmaline, where she grabbed it mid-air and landed with a spin. She stood up slowly, and looked at Pearl. All Pearl's faced showed was how dumbfounded she was at Tourmaline's performance.

"H-how..did you do that?!" Pearl asked.

"Simple really, I just calculated the precise angle and velocity at which to throw my shield so as to be the most effective against the Holograms." Tourmaline stated matter-of-factly.

" _My Peridot must REALLY be showing now..._ " she thought.

Pearl just continued to look on in a mix of confusion and amazement. "Uhm...Pearl?" asked Tourmaline after a second of waiting. "Oh, right yes well...good job..." she said, trying not to sound too impressed. "Ok then, uh practice is over for today..."

"Alright, I'm going back to the Temple." said Tourmaline. "You coming?"

"No-no, you go on ahead, I'll be there in a second..." Pearl answered. "Ok, see you soon. I guess." Tourmaline said walking back to the Warp Pad.

At the house, Tourmaline sat, thinking about her newfound powers. What else could she do? Could she do it again, but this time when she wanted to? Or...? There were too many questions and so few answers. She decided to clear her head and pay Lapis a visit and see how she was getting on.

As she stepped off the warp pad, she saw a red ship floating towards her. She quickly ran inside, panting heavily.

"Oh, Tourmaline. It's you..." said Lapis, unsure of how to greet her. "Y-yeah. Surprise!" Tourmaline answered, still out of breath.

She glanced up and saw the ship looking down through the rafters. "Oh, no..." she said quietly. "What the..?" asked Lapis seeing the ship for the first time. She quickly used the water pool she had made and formed a giant hand. With a flick of her wrist, the ship crashed into the ground with a loud " ** _CRUNCH_** ".

Tourmaline breathed a sigh of relief, but was even more shocked when she saw the top open and 5 Rubies come out.

"They must be looking for Peridot..." she thought.

She glanced at the Gem on her forehead. Even if she was very different, there would be no mistaking that for a Peridot Gem. She took out Steven's phone and called the house. "Hey guys," she said. "Uh, we may a slight situation at the barn. It appears Rubies have been sent to look for Peridot."

"We're on our way." said Garnet.

The Rubies got out and looked around. From Tourmaline's perspective, all she could see was one standing on the ship talking to the rest. Then the one on the ship pointed towards the barn. "AH!" said Tourmaline ducking back behind the door frame. " _Did they see me?!_ " " _Stars, I hope not._ "

Just then, the Gems arrived through the hole in the barn. "What'd we miss?" asked Amethyst.

"SHHHH! GET DOWN!" said Tourmaline in a loud whisper. The Gems ducked behind the door with her.

"What do we do?!" asked Tourmaline, frightened. "They'll know Peridot fused when they see her Gem!"

"Hey, it's alright. We wouldn't let anything happen to you." said Garnet honestly. "I think we should ask what they want." Amethyst suggested. "We don't want Homeworld to know that there's still Gems here Amethyst!" said Pearl annoyed.

"Fine." she said. "Then let Lapis go. She looks the most human." Lapis looked from the Gems to the Rubies and back again. She met Tourmaline's frightened eyes, and said

"Fine." "But this is only for Steven."

She walked outside and after a brief discussion, the Rubies got in their ship and left. "How did you do that?!" asked Tourmaline. "They said they were looking for the leader of the Earth mission, Jasper." "They were about to fight me, seeing as how I crashed their ship, but I told them Jasper was on Neptune, and they left."

"Dang, Rubies are duuuumb." said Amethyst. Then glanced at Garnet. "No offence G." Garnet just cracked a smile.


	4. Tourmaline and Amethyst

Tourmaline sat on Steven's bed, playing video games. Greg and Pearl, (after Garnet told her to) went to Empire City for a bit. Garnet had disappeared a little after that.

So having nothing better to do, Tourmaline played some video games. A little into her "gaming session" she got fed up with doing nothing. She wanted to try and practice with her powers. She walked down to the beach.

" _Ok, so I was really scared, and then I wanted to-stars, how am I supposed to replicate those feelings?_ " She thought.

Tourmaline concentrated as hard as she could on summoning her shield. " _Come on, come on, come on!_ " She repeated in her head. Just as she thought she saw some light appear on her arm, Amethyst walked up to her.

"Yo, Tourmaline? Watchya doin'?" she asked.

"Trying to summon my weapon..but it doesn't seem to be working."

"Really? It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Steven could summon his shield. Peridot has a weapon right? What is it?" asked Amethyst, getting excited."Uh...uhm...well...Peridot can't summon her weapon exactly..." Tourmaline said nervously.

"Woah, hold up," said Amethyst. "But she had those limb thingies! How could she not have a weapon?" Tourmaline sighed.

"Resources were dwindling on Homeworld. Gems couldn't be made like they used to. That's why Peridots are given artificial enhancements, because they...don't have powers." She finished sullenly. Amethyst looked at Tourmaline. "Hey, don't beat yourself...er, half of yourself up about it. You don't need powers to be part of the team. And who knows? Maybe she actually has powers she doesn't know about." said Amethyst, trying to comfort her.

"Yeah...ok, but for now, I'm trying to get _my_ powers to work. Any tips for summoning a weapon?" Tourmaline asked.

"I dunno." Amethyst said. "It kinda just works for me. Whenever I wanna fight or get somethin', it just works." Tourmaline sighed.

" _When Steven summoned his shield, he_ _thought about how he wanted to protect his family and friends. Maybe it could work for me?_ " she thought. "Ok, I'm going to try something." Tourmaline said. She got up and concentrated.

She thought about how badly she wanted to help the Gems on missions. How she would do anything to protect them. How proud they would be if she got this right. When suddenly, in a flash of light her shield appeared.

It was a little different than before though. It was still the same color, and was still diamond shaped, but it had a Rose Quartz insignia in the center and a yellow lines starting from the center and ending at each corner. "Woah! Cool shield dude!" said Amethyst. "You got any other powers I don't know about?"

"Uh.." said Tourmaline. "I can turn on my visor so it shows me everything about the area I'm looking at."

"Oooh! Show me!" said Amethyst excitedly.

Tourmaline concentrated and tapped the side of her visor. The visor lit up and the heads up display came on. She took it off and gave it Amethyst who began shape-shifting her tongue to see what it was made of.

She quickly got bored with it however and gave it back to Tourmaline. "Is that all you can do?" Amethyst asked.

"Well...I don't know." Tourmaline answered. "I didn't get a chance to see."

"Hey! What if we have a battle!" Amethyst said excitedly. "I don't know..." said Tourmaline. She didn't want to hurt Amethyst or hurt herself. Who knows what would happen to Steven and Peridot if Tourmaline was poofed.

"Come on!" Amethyst said. "I'll go easy on you."

"Alright fine." said Tourmaline concedingly. They warped to the sky arena and got into fighting stance. "Don't hold back! said Amethyst. "I can take it!" Tourmaline wasn't sure, but she wanted to know what else she could do. "3...2...1...GO!" shouted Amethyst.

They charged at each other. Amethyst did her spin dash toward Tourmaline. Tourmaline blocked with her shield and watched as Amethyst was hit by a green bolt of electricity that sent her flying backward.

"AMETHYST!" she yelled. Tourmaline ran to her to see if she was okay. "I'm o- _zzzt-k."_ said Amethyst as electricity continued to course through her form.

Amethyst stood up slowly, and then her hair poofed out. Tourmaline exploded into laughter at the sight.

Amethyst looked like a purple porcupine. "Oh, you think that's funny do ya?" Amethyst asked. She grabbed Tourmaline and gave her a few noogies before letting her go.

"Come on." She said. "We should get back before they realize what we were doing." They warped back and continued on as if nothing had happened. It was timed perfectly too.

Garnet warped back right as they sat down and Pearl and Greg drove up in the van. They seemed more chatty than ever and didn't stop talking up until the front door. Greg left and Pearl saw Amethyst playing video games with Tourmaline. She thought nothing of it and went into the Temple. Garnet just cracked a smile at them before going into the Temple.

"Think we should tell them?" Tourmaline asked. "Nah." said Amethyst. "Pretty sure they'll find out when they want to. Plus Garnet probably already knows. With her future vision thing."

"Yeah ok." Tourmaline answered, almost disappointed she couldn't show off her newfound abilities. "Bet'ya anything I can beat you to the barn." Amethyst said teasingly.

"You're on!" Tourmaline said as they raced towards it, glad at least most of the Gems had accepted her.


	5. Jasper's (Quick) Return

The day was going slow. Nothing to do once again. Once again, Pearl and Garnet were gone. This time though, they were looking for Jasper. So Amethyst took Tourmaline out to train her some more.

After a few hours of battling, Tourmaline had gotten better at summoning her shield on command. Amethyst said they should take a snack break halfway through.

Tourmaline didn't know if Peridot would appreciate it if she ate, but it wasn't like she was there at the moment.

" _Speaking of which,"_ thought Tourmaline. " _I have to find a_ _way of getting them back_." After getting some doughnuts, Amethyst and Tourmaline went for a quick swim. After a few moments though, a corrupted Gem burst to the surface.

Neither of them had seen it before. Amethyst made quick work of the beast by wrapping her whip around it and tightening it until the monster poofed. Unfortunately, a second came up with Jasper riding on its back.

"Where is Rose?"Jasper demanded looking around. Noticing Amethyst, she laughed. "Is this all that's left of her army?"

She glanced at Tourmaline, who had swam to the beach and was now standing next to Amethyst. "Pathetic. Another fusion. I'll crush you and the runt for practice." She jumped down off the corrupted Gem and summoned her crash helmet.

"Amethyst!" Tourmaline shouted. "Distract the corrupt Gem! I'll handle Jasper."

"WHAT?!" Amethyst asked incredulously. "You barely had any training and now ya wanna take on Jasper of all Gems?!" "Trust me." said Tourmaline quieter. "I've got this." Jasper charged Tourmaline but she was ready. She blocked Jasper's attack with her shield and sent Jasper flying in a brilliant flash of yellow light.

"You think some light show is gonna stop me?!" Jasper yelled. She rolled herself into a ball and did a spin-dash attack on Tourmaline. But instead, Tourmaline just waited, and put her hand out in front of her, and concentrated.

" _Focus. Wait...wait..."_ With a huge explosion, Jasper was stopped dead in her tracks.

Jasper fell, defeated and covered in ash. "Don't-cough-think you've won-cough-fusion." Jasper wheezed. "Jaspers keep going-cough-until we get what we want." She limped slowly back to the ocean.

"Huh." said Tourmaline examining her hand. "I guess I can do that then." Then she remembered something. "Amethyst!" she called.

Tourmaline looked over to see two Gems laying in the sand. She quickly bubbled the multicolored one. She sent it to the Temple and watched the purple gemstone rise off the ground as Amethyst reformed.

"TOURMALINE! I'm back everything's gonna be fi-" Amethyst stopped, noticing the crater left by the explosion.

"Uhh...did I miss something?" she asked. Tourmaline hugged Amethyst. "I beat her! And I got a new power." she said. "Wow." said Amethyst. "You're getting good at this fighting Gem monsters thing." "I know!" said Tourmaline excitedly.

"Wait, I have to show Garnet!" Tourmaline ran off toward the Temple. "Maybe that's not-" Amethyst started, but Tourmaline was already at the steps. Amethyst sighed.

"You didn't need me at all..." She said quietly.


	6. Zultanite

The next day, Tourmaline sat playing video games with Amethyst. She knew something was bothering Amethyst, but didn't know if asking her would help.

Against her better judgment though, she asked. "Amethyst? I know there's something wrong. I want to help, but I need to know what's wrong." Tourmaline said. Amethyst put down her controller.

She inhaled sharply, and said: "After the fight with Jasper...I kinda felt useless, you know? Like I wasn't needed, like you could take her and the monsters all on your own."

"What?!" Tourmaline asked, surprised. "I just wanted to get it over with. If I had known how much you wanted to fight, I would have let you."

"That's not the point." said Amethyst. "Now I'm the worst Crystal Gem." She said quieter. "What! No!" said Tourmaline. "You have your spin-dash attack, shape-shifting, and whips that most Quartzes of your type couldn't dream of making." Tourmaline listed on her fingers.

"Plus, you're from the Prime Kindergarten, there's no way you're "the worst" at anything." Amethyst looked up.

"Jasper's from the Beta Kindergarten, an abysmal attempt at yours." Tourmaline continued. "I can take you there if you want."

"Yeah, ok.." Amethyst said with a sigh.

Moments later, the Warp Pad in the Beta Kindergarten activated. "Aaaand,we're here!" said Tourmaline stepping off the Pad. She looked up at the exit holes. "What you're looking for is a strong silhouette of the Gem. None of these come close!" She said, gesturing to the oddly misshapen holes.

"This Carnelian even came out sideways!" She said, pointing to one in particular that didn't resemble a Gem at all. Amethyst looked around before seeing something that got her attention. "Hey Tourmaline?" She asked. "Yeah?" "What about that one?" She asked, pointing to an enormous hole, that resembled a body builder flexing.

"Jasper..." Tourmaline said quietly.

"What?" Amethyst asked astounded. "That's Jasper's exit hole?!" "Oh come on." Said Tourmaline. "A good Kindergartner knows what a "good" exit hole looks like. The silhouette is fine, but there's bound to be something wrong with it."

Tourmaline jumped up into the hole and looked around thoughtfully, finger on her chin. "See the problem here-wait-no..." She started, but stopped and walked to the back.

"As you can see-ergh-no..." Tourmaline walked back to the front. "She's even got frictional rock-melt throughout..." She murmured.

Tourmaline then jumped down to Amethyst. "Actually...I...uh...haven't seen a more perfect exit hole in my life." She said. "WHAT SHE EVEN-?!" Amethyst asked. "Wait-did you hear that?" Tourmaline interrupted.

They both listened and heard what sounded like someone talking. They walked toward it and hid behind a nearby rock. There, in front of a caged corrupted Gem was Jasper. "JASPER!" Tourmaline said in a loud whisper. Amethyst looked at Jasper and jumped up on a ledge. She began to sneak towards her. "Disgraceful." Jasper said to the monster.

"This planet ruins everything." She laughed. "Except for me." She crouched down to the corrupted Gem's height.

"You suffer because it's what you deserve. We ALL get what we deserve." By now Amethyst had almost made it to her. "Right AMETHYST?" Jasper said turning. "WOA-" Amethyst said as she fell of the ledge. "What do you want runt?" Jasper asked.

"There's no way you can beat me in a fight."

"We'll just see about that." Amethyst growled. Tourmaline ran up to Amethyst. "Of course. The fusion." She laughed.

"What's wrong Rose? Too much of a coward to battle me on your own?" Amethyst pushed Tourmaline out of the way. "This is my battle." Amethyst summoned her whips and knocked Jasper into a wall. Jasper got up and stood her ground. Amethyst continued to hit her, but to no effect. In an attempt to damage her at all, Amethyst did her spin-dash attack, but Jasper still stood.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" Amethyst yelled.

"Is it sinking in yet?" Jasper asked walking towards her. "You came out WRONG! You never had a chance!" Jasper smacked Amethyst back. Tourmaline summoned her shield and looked up. An old injector stood above, balanced precariously on the edge of the canyon. She threw her shield, it hit the injector and came back.

The injector creaked and groaned before falling into the canyon. "HEADS UP!" Tourmaline said. The injector crashed to the floor, separating Jasper and Amethyst. "I-I...can't win..." Amethyst said.

"She's just too strong, I-" "NO!" Tourmaline said. "Stop comparing yourself with Jasper! You're nothing like Jasper!"

"You're like Steven and Peridot. You're like me!" Tourmaline said.

"We're all not like anybody, but at least we have each other...S-so stop leaving me out of this!" Amethyst smirked, and sniffed back tears. "Us worse Gems stick together...right?"

"That's why we're the best." Tourmaline said holding out her hand.

Amethyst grabbed it and hugged Tourmaline and a huge explosion rocked the canyon. When the smoke cleared, one Gem stood where two had previously. She stood as taller than Jasper, had 6 arms and a blue visor that covered her 4 eyes. She had a Gem on her forehead, chest and navel. Her hair was a wild mess of curls and points, and was colored brown. Her outfit was a mix of Steven's shirt, Peridot's jumpsuit, and Amethyst's pants. A single star was on her light-green shirt and one on each of her knees. Her feet ended in white boots and her skin was a light brown.

She opened her eyes an looked at Jasper. "Betcha didn't see this coming hmm?" She asked grinning.

"WHO ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO BE?!" Jasper asked, astounded.

"Hmm...let's see...a Rose Quartz, an Amethyst, and a Peridot...make a Zultanite!" As she finished talking, she pulled out Amethyst's whip and Tourmaline's shield. She crossed them over her chest, and in a flash of light, they were gone.

On her arms and legs however, green-tinted limb enhancers appeared. She looked at Jasper, and gestured for her to come at them.

Jasper growled and did her spin-dash attack on them. Zultanite dodged to the side with ease. As Jasper hit the opposite wall, the monsters she kept caged were freed. Zultanite turned to her and opened fire from her limb enhancers.

The bolts hit Jasper, and freed even more monsters. "No! My army!" Jasper said.

"ARGH!" She yelled and ran to the only monster still caged. Zultanite hit her a few more times before Jasper made it.

"I WILL NOT BE BEATEN BY ANOTHER FUSION!" She yelled and fused with the monster. Zultanite looked on, as the Jasper- monster fusion came toward her. She sighed. "Jasper, you've really outdone yourself. But we've had our fun-time to end this."

She grabbed the fusion with her limb enhancer tractor beam and held them in the air. The fusion warped and split apart. With a quick shot, the monster was poofed. With another hand, Zultanite bubbled the monster's Gem

and sent it away. "Now, you've caused enough trouble Jasper, and I think it's time we finally took care of you." Zultanite said calmly. But, she noticed something on Jasper's arm. "Corr- ruption..." She said quietly.

With a loud POP, they defused, and Tourmaline ran up to where they had dropped Jasper.

"Let me help you!" She said licking her hand. Jasper swiped at her with her now corrupted hand. Tourmaline fell back.

"Help? HELP?! I'VE BEEN FIGHTING SINCE I CAME OUT OF THE GROUND BECAUSE OF YOU! BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU DID MY COLONY! BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU DID TO MY DIAMOND!" She yelled. With each point, the corruption spread until it almost reached her face. "Y-yellow Diamond?"

Tourmaline asked confused. "WHA-A?!" Jasper asked stunned.

"MY DIAMOND, YOUR DIAMOND, PINK DIAMOND!" She said as the corruption overcame her. Jasper (now corrupted) roared at Tourmaline and Amethyst. Tourmaline panicked and with a single hand movement, Jasper was gone in an explosion of yellow light.

Jasper's Gem fell to the ground with a soft clink. Amethyst stared for a moment before walking up to it. "C'mere sis." She sighed as she bubbled and sent it away.

Tourmaline walked to Amethyst. Amethyst leaned on her as they looked at the sky.


	7. Poofed

Tourmaline and Amethyst warped back to the barn. What awaited them was unexpected to say the least. Lapis had the five Rubies from earlier in bubbles suspended in the air.

Tourmaline looked up at them. "Uh..why are they back?" She asked carefully.

"I don't know. They came flying in with their ship and I bubbled them before the could say anything." Lapis said nonchalantly. "Then...shouldn't we ask?" Tourmaline wondered aloud. "We were just going to release one. But we couldn't decide which." Pearl stated.

"Can I...?" Tourmaline started. "Go right ahead." Said Garnet. "Hmm...How about the one with the Gem on their chest?" Tourmaline asked. Lapis popped the bubble and Ruby (we'll just call her "Doc" to dissociate her from the others) fell out. "So.." Tourmaline said. "Why did you come back?"

"Uh...we...uhh..came back t-to find Jasper.." Doc said scared. "Well...uh...she's...incapacitated at the moment..." Tourmaline said, trying to figure out the best way to phrase it.

"What do you mean by that?" Doc asked. "She's...in a bubble...after we...poofed her." Tourmaline continued. "WHAT?!" Doc shouted. "I'll have to report this...Yellow Diamond won't be happy..."

"Well, that's not something you'll have to worry about." Garnet said.

"Wha-why?" Doc asked even more confused. "You think we're going to let you contact Yellow Diamond?" Pearl asked. Doc took a second to take in that information. "So you mean we're stuck on this rock?!"

"Pretty much." Amethyst answered.

"Actually, what are we going to do with them?" She asked turning to the Gems. Tourmaline thought for a moment. "I don't know how much she'll like this...but..." Tourmaline turned to Lapis. "Would you...be ok with looking after them in the barn?" Lapis looked to the Rubies, then to Tourmaline and back again.

"I...fine. But once again, this is for Steven."

Lapis popped the Rubies' bubbles. She walked over to them. "I think you got the message." She said.

"But any funny business and you know what will happen." For dramatic effect she summoned her water hand from the pool behind her. All except Eyeball cowered in fear. "Ha! You think we'll listen to y-" She was cut off as Lapis lifted her into the with her water hand.

"OK! OK! I'LL LISTEN! JUST PUT ME DOWN!" Eyeball screamed. "Good." Said Lapis. With that, the Rubies ran into the barn. Lapis flew in, grabbed a book and sat on the roof. "That went...well..." Tourmaline said slowly.

"Looks like that takes care of things." Said Pearl.

That night, Tourmaline dreamed again. She was running through a field of pink grass. Pink clouds hung in the sky, while a pink sun sat overhead. She slowed down, taking things in, when, suddenly there was a loud crash. Tourmaline turned around to see the same giant gem from her first dream. She tried to get inside, but quickly realized that Steven and Peridot weren't there.

She looked around wondering where they could be, when something black appeared at the edge of her vision. She glanced to it and saw what looked like a tall shadow walking slowly toward her.

Tourmaline turned and ran, hoping she would be able to at least outrun it. No such luck. It easily caught up and knocked her down. Tourmaline looked at the shadow.

"W-where are they?" She asked scared.

The shadow didn't respond. It simply walked closer, and suddenly, Tourmaline was enveloped in a black void. She woke up screaming. The Gems ran in, wondering what all the noise was about.

"Yo Tourmaline, you alright?" Amethyst asked. "Y-yeah...I'm fine." She answered shakily. "Are you sure?" Pearl asked unconvinced. "It sounded like you were being attacked."

"No, I'm fine just a dream."

The Gems exchanged worried glances. "Alright, but if you need anything, we're here." Garnet said. "Th-thanks..." Tourmaline said. The Gems left and Tourmaline went back to sleep.

The next day, they had to go on a mission. This time, Tourmaline was allowed to go with. Apparently, the fusion experiments Jasper had used as part of her army were loose in the Prime Kindergarten.

The Gems warped in and began their search. The entire time Tourmaline was lost in thought.

" _What was that?_ " She thought back to her dream. " _Another Gem maybe? No, I would've known then...right?_ "

She was brought back to reality by Garnet summoning her gauntlets. Ahead, the fusion experiments were fighting each other. The Gems pulled out their weapons and attacked. Tourmaline joined in, using what she called her "Laser Hand", _"From my Steven half definitely,_ " She thought, and her energy shield.

They were each occupied with their own fusion experiment. Tourmaline shot at the experiment multiple times before getting knocked back with such force even her shield couldn't protect her from it.

She hit the wall of the canyon and tried to stand.

Head spinning, she went in again. She threw her shield as a distraction and shot at it with her hand.

This seemed to work, but what Tourmaline hadn't realized, was, first, how close she was to the fusion experiment Amethyst was fighting, and how throwing her shield left her open for an attack.

The experiment fighting Amethyst turned and threw what looked like gem shards at Tourmaline.

It all happened too quick.

Her visor warned her of the incoming objects, but she was too focused on the fusion experiment in front of her.

Tourmaline was hit hard.

She was knocked over and thrown head-first into a rock nearby. The Gems saw this, and quickly finished off the experiments by fusing into Alexandrite. They then unfused and ran over to Tourmaline.

Tourmaline lay on her back with her head against the rock, a sleep-like expression on her face. She wasn't moving. A blinking message on her cracked visor caught the Gems' attention. **_HEAV- -AMAGE SUSTA-NED, BODY IN CR-TICAL CONDITIO-_**

Amethyst was the first to speak. _"_ What does that mean?" She asked her voice cracking. "Oh, no..." Garnet whispered. With a loud **POOF!** , Tourmaline's body dissipated into nothing, and the Peridot and Rose Quartz Gem hit the ground with a soft _clink!_. The Gems only looked on in horror and grief.


	8. Close Encounters of the Gem-kind

After the Gems got back to the Temple, Garnet put the Peridot and Rose Quartz gems on Steven's bed. There was something odd about them though: they hadn't returned to their natural color. The Gems, however were too distraught to notice and just stood there.

"How long before they come back?" Amethyst asked quietly, saying what was on every Gem's mind. "I...don't know..." Garnet said wiping a tear from under her visor. "I can't see them..."

Pearl looked the most torn up. "We should've been more careful...we should've-"

"Pearl."Garnet said putting a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down. It wasn't your fault. You didn't know what would happen. Even I couldn't see this..." "Soo...what do we do?" Amethyst asked, trying to break the tension. "We wait." said Garnet. "We don't know how long it will be until they come back, so we need to be patient."

The Gems glanced at the two stones laying on the bed. After a while they all went back into their respective rooms.

Two weeks later, neither Steven nor Peridot had regenerated. Garnet still couldn't see them in the future and Pearl hadn't been out of her room for a week. Amethyst would occasionally just sit next to them and talk. Today was one such occasion.

"I dunno if you guys can hear me, but...we miss you...Pearl's having a mental breakdown and I'm...talking to rocks." Amethyst said with a sigh.

"I guess that's not too unusual, but still, hurry guys." She said before leaving.

That night, Pearl came out to check on the Gems. She stayed for an hour and, just as she was about to go into her room, the Gems emitted a bright light. They hovered in the air for a moment, and then the Peridot Gem aligned itself above the Rose Quartz Gem, and started to form...something. To Pearl, it looked like each Gem was regenerating half of someone. The halves then connected, and Tourmaline fell onto the bed.

"Ergh...my head..." She said.

She looked around and saw Pearl standing there with tears in her eyes.

"Did I miss something?" Tourmaline asked slowly.

"H-how?" Pearl stammered. "How what?" Tourmaline asked confused. "Y-you were poofed...a-and you still..." Pearl continued on mumbling incoherently. Garnet warped in moments later. She saw Tourmaline and sprinted over, giving her a hug. Amethyst came out of her room, saw Tourmaline and did the same.

After a moment, Tourmaline spoke. "As much as I love the attention," she said. "Why are you guys acting like I've been gone for a year?" "You mean you don't know?" Pearl asked in shock. "Should I?" Tourmaline asked. "You were poofed dude!" Amethyst said. "I was? How?!" "You don't remember the fight with the fusion experiments? You were hit by the one I was fighting and then you poofed!"

"But I thought that was just a dream!" Tourmaline said astounded. "I mean, don't Gems regenerate their own bodies when their forms are destroyed in a fusion?"

"We thought so too. But apparently that's not the case with you." Pearl said. "Would you happen to know why?"

"W-well...uh...you see..." Tourmaline stammered. "Tourmaline, you can tell them." Garnet said reassuringly. Tourmaline sighed and took a breath. "When Steven and Peridot drilled to stop the Cluster, they formed me. After I bubbled it, I tried to unfuse. It didn't work. I kept trying, but nothing happened. That's when I realized that I couldn't hear their voices anymore."

"What?!" Pearl asked terrified. "B-but-how?!" "I...don't know. The closest I've come to hearing them again was in this strange dream I had the first night I stayed here." Tourmaline responded.

"I was hoping Garnet would know what to do, but I didn't have the courage to tell anyone." She said sheepishly. Garnet put a hand on Tourmaline's shoulder. "We'll figure it out. For now, rest. You need it." She said kissing Tourmaline's forehead.

Garnet walked back into her room with Amethyst and Pearl close behind.

Amethyst stopped at the door and looked to Tourmaline. "Good to have ya back dude." She said smiling before going into her room.

Tourmaline lay down, thinking. Within moments, she was asleep. A week later, she started having weird dreams again. This time though, she was looking at something...big and...pink? She knew what it was, after all, Peridot had seen them before.

" _A palanquin?_ " She thought. " _But why is it_ _so...broken?_ " Then she realized. Pink. Pink Diamond. No wonder it was in ruin. Pink Diamond was shattered thousands of years ago. " _That must've been what Jasper was referring to..._ " She thought.

With a start, she woke up. She put a hand on her cheek and felt...tears? " _Why am I crying?_ " She wondered.

Tourmaline decided not to question it and went back to sleep. In the morning, she knew she had to go there. _"But how?"_ She thought. " _I have no idea where it is!"_ Her visor lit up. It began searching all known data banks on Earth for it. Within a second, a map from an old adventurer's journal popped up.

The location was marked as being somewhere in Korea. She decided against going to the Gems and instead went to find Lion.

After a minute of searching, she found him lounging in the sun next to the lighthouse. "Hey Lion!" Tourmaline said. "Do you think you could take me here?" She asked, projecting the image from her visor to the ground.

Lion looked at it, yawned and rolled over. "What if you get Lion Lickers when you get back?" Tourmaline asked mischievously.

Lion opened his eyes and stood up. He roared and a portal appeared. Tourmaline climbed onto his back.

"Thanks Lion!" She said. The portal put them just outside a fence that had the words "Keep Out" written on it, with a small cursive "please" underneath. Tourmaline easily jumped them fence and walked up the hill. A blue palanquin stood hovering in front of her.

" _This can't be it. It's too new, and the color is wrong..."_ She thought.

Tourmaline stood wondering, when she thought she heard someone talking. She walked carefully toward it and crouched behind some bushes.

There, in front of the palanquin she'd seen in her dream, was Blue Diamond and her Pearl. Tourmaline gasped audibly. The Pearl glanced up, and Tourmaline crouched down again. "What are you doing over there?" She heard Blue Diamond ask.

" _Oh, no..."_ Tourmaline thought.


	9. Gem-knapped

" _WhatdoIdoWhatdoIdoWhatdoIdo?!_ " Tourmaline thought, scared. She couldn't run, they'd see her. She couldn't call Lion, so that left her one option... " _Ok, be cool, you're not a Gem...you're a human who's lost...oh stars..._ "

Running the plan through her head made it seem that much more stupid. Blue Pearl walked up to the bush Tourmaline was hiding behind. "I thought I heard someone..." _"Time's up..._ " Tourmaline thought. Tourmaline took off her visor and stood up straight, trying to cover her Peridot with her hair and her Rose Quartz with her shirt.

"Heyyy...I um...hi?" Tourmaline said stuttering, unsure of what the heck she just said.

Blue Pearl looked startled, and turned to Blue Diamond. "My Diamond, I've found a native." She said bowing. "Bring it here." Blue Diamond said.

They walked up to Blue Diamond. "I'm impressed by humanity's ability to survive in the wild. What a strange planet. Where else would a being as fragile as a human live, while a being as powerful as a Diamond perish?" Blue Diamond took a shaky breath.

"This is where it happened...where she was...broken..."

Tourmaline didn't know what to say. Here was a Diamond of all Gems, crying. "Were you close?" She asked. "Very." Blue Diamond answered. "I'm really sorry..." Tourmaline said. "I know how you feel."

"You do?"

"I lost someone close to me before I even knew them. Everyone tells me how great she was, how lucky they were to meet her." Tourmaline sighed. "But...she's gone and never coming back. I know how hard it can be to live with that feeling." "I'm surprised that a human being is capable of understanding how I feel." Blue Diamond said.

"It's a shame. There's a Geo-Weapon incubating in your planet that will destroy everything, shortly." She paused and looked to Tourmaline.

"But you don't deserve that, do you?"

"Uhhh..." Tourmaline said dumbfounded.

"You know, I really shouldn't be here. But I'm glad I came back one last time. I can save one last piece of her legacy." Blue Diamond said bending down to Tourmaline's height. "Oh...uh...how?" Tourmaline asked.

With that, Blue Diamond grabbed her and raised her hand. Out of the clouds, what could only be described as a giant blue arm appeared.

She took Tourmaline into her palanquin and with a loud _CLANK_ the legs folded in. The palanquin shot into the air where the arm grabbed it. Garnet jumped to catch up with the ship, but with a loud _WHOOSH_ the ship flew out of sight.

She was too late.

" _No..._ " She thought. " _NO!_ " She ran to the nearest Warp Pad and teleported home. "Garnet!" Said Pearl as she appeared. "Are you alright?" "We need to move NOW!" Garnet said sternly.

"Why? Some crazy Gem monster on the loose again?" Amethyst asked nonchalantly. "No, it's Blue Diamond, she...took Tourmaline..." "WHAT?" Said Pearl. "Blue Diamond o-on Earth?! And she took her?" "Where would she take her?" Amethyst asked. "It's not like there's a human Zoo or something right?"

"No, wait there was-" Said Pearl. "That's right!" Said Garnet. "Pink Diamond's insidious human Zoo." "Well how are we gonna get her back?" Asked Amethyst. "With the Roaming Eye."

"The Ruby ship?" She asked. Garnet nodded. They went to the Barn and were about to leave when they noticed a familiar van drive up. "Hey what's going on here?" Greg asked walking up to them. "Greg!" Pearl said nervously. "So nice to er, see you...What are you doing here?" "I was just looking for you guys actually." He looked at the ship.

"Where do you guys plan on going?"

"We...uh we were going to uh, you see, uh..." Pearl stuttered.

Garnet stepped forward. "Tourmaline's been taken to space by Blue Diamond, so we're going to get her back." Greg looked dumbfounded. He then put on a brave face. "Well then I'm going with you." "Greg, it's too dangerous for humans. We'll handle-"

"No." Greg said. "I won't leave my son-er, my son's fusion, up there. I'm going with you guys whether you like it or not." Garnet sighed and motioned for Greg to get in. With a low hum the engines started and they took off.

Within a few minutes of breaking Earth's atmosphere, they were there. Inside, there were multiple Roaming Eyes parked, with two Amethysts guarding the door. "How are we going to get by the guards?" Amethyst asked. Garnet smiled. "Don't worry, I have a plan, or should I say, _we_ have a plan."

Garnet unfused in a brilliant flash of light.

"We won't stand out if we play the roles we were made for." Said Sapphire. "Okay everybody, hear her out." Ruby said. "Today, I'm a Sapphire traveling with her Ruby guard, my Amethyst guard, my Pearl and a new human for the Zoo." She said looking to Greg.

Greg nodded. Everyone slowly walked out of the ship. They got to the door. "State your purpose." The guard said. "I've brought a new human for the Zoo." Sapphire answered calmly.

"Bad news. The Zoo shut down. Guess we'll just have to throw you into space!" She said to Greg.

Greg shook nervously and sweat formed on his forehead. "HA! It believed me!" The guard said to the other. The loud sound of shoes echoed through the hallway. "What are you doing?!" The new Gem asked annoyed.

"NOTHING, Holly Blue Agate!" Both Amethysts said simultaneously saluting. Holly looked to the Gems and saw Sapphire. She gasped and turned angrily to the Amethysts. "Why didn't you tell me there was a Sapphire here?! What have you miscreants been saying to them?!"

"Nothing, Holly." One of the Amethysts responded. Holly turned to the Gems. "You'll have to forgive them...they're from Earth." She said. "Apologize!" Holly whispered harshly to them. "Forgive us-" (They get hit by Holly).

"Forgive us, your clarity!" "No use dwelling on the past." Said Sapphire. "I've brought a new human for the collection."


	10. The Great Escape

**_An hour earlier..._ **

Tourmaline was terrified. She couldn't see, she could barely breathe, and was being held hostage by a Diamond. Unfortunately, she couldn't exactly use her powers to escape since that would reveal her identity as a Gem, and possibly as a fusion. Both would end up with her shattered.

So all Tourmaline could do was wait. A loud _whoosh_ woke her from her thoughts.

"We're here." Said Blue Diamond.

Blue Diamond walked to the entrance and set Tourmaline down. Holly Blue Agate was at the door. "MY DIAMOND!" She said startled.

"A-" "This human is special to me. See to it that it is put in the Zoo." Blue Diamond said interrupting her. "O-of course my Diamond!" She said. "Amethysts, escort this human to the assimilation bay."

The Amethysts grabbed Tourmaline by the arms and carried her to a door. The door opened, and Tourmaline was shoved inside. It was dark for a moment, but after the lights came on it was obvious where she was. A large corridor stretched out before her, ending at the middle of the so-called Zoo.

Floating fingers, similar to that of Peridot's limb enhancers surrounded Tourmaline. They took pictures of her and even tried to take her clothes off. Thankfully though, they were melded to her body. After some more prodding from the fingers and a pair of purple earrings being put on, she noticed a loud banging noise. Looking ahead, she saw a pillar come crashing down on the conveyor belt, before retracting into the ceiling. This deadly cycle continued as Tourmaline was pulled closer.

She tried running in the opposite direction, but that didn't work.

She couldn't see a way around it, so she braced for the impact. With another _whoosh_ Tourmaline found herself in loincloth. Then there was silence.

Tourmaline looked around. There was nothing as for as the eye could see. Just space and pink glass. But before she could think, the area she was in was flooded with water. Tourmaline gasped for air, and tried to swim to the surface.

The floor then opened up and like a giant bathtub, the room emptied into the hole. Tourmaline was thrown in every direction as she tried to get out of the water.

And just as she thought she would pass out, she was thrown up into the air-" _Wait, air?_ " She thought-Before being dropped on a beach. Tourmaline stood on all fours coughing up water. After a moment she noticed something in the trees behind the beach.

She paused and looked around. Not seeing anything, she phased her visor back on and tapped the side.

The visor lit up and began scanning the area. There were signs of life, but what? "Thermal scan." Tourmaline said. The visor changed and showed multiple warm...things, in the treeline. Tourmaline tapped her visor again and the scan stopped. "I-it's okay." She said standing up. "I won't hurt you."

The bushes rustled and out came a crowd of people. "You are a Gem?" One of them asked. Tourmaline stopped.

They'd seen her visor. "Yeah. I am." Tourmaline answered with a sigh. The humans seemed startled and whispered amongst themselves.

After a moment two stepped forward. "Usually Gems do not enter here. There was a story of one helping someone who was "hurt", but that was a long time ago." The female (J-10) said. Tourmaline thought for a moment.

If there was a way for Gems to enter, then she had to find it! "Where did they come in?" Tourmaline asked. "I don't know." J-10 said. "Is there a door around here?" She asked. "What's a door?" J-10 asked. "You know, a section of a wall that opens and closes?" Tourmaline said confused.

The male (Y-6) laughed. "Walls do not open. They are walls!"

The other humans laughed at Tourmaline's apparent lack of knowledge. Tourmaline sighed in annoyance. She realized the humans would be no help at all. So she decided to go on her own to find the door.

It was obvious where the enclosure ended, so logic would dictate that there would be a door along that border.

Tourmaline sprinted off in the direction of the trees with Flash-like speed, leaving the "Zoomans" shocked.

Tourmaline found the edge quicker than she thought. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be a door. So she sprinted around the edge until she came across a large, pink door.

Tourmaline searched for any way to activate it. To her dismay, there wasn't. So she tried a different approach. She swung her as hard as she could into the door, only for a resounding _bang_ to be heard. Tourmaline then tried using her "laser hand". " _Have to work on the name._ " She thought.

She steadied her hand and fired. A loud explosion and flash of light ensued. The door however, remained untouched. Tourmaline growled in frustration.

Then she remembered what J-10 had said. " _There was a story of one helping someone who was "hurt", hurt,hurthurthurt_ " the word repeated in her head. Tourmaline looked around. If that was the only way to get out, then so be it. But it had to look real. She climbed up a tree and made a scene of falling off of it.

On the ground she pretended to cry in pain. After a moment, an Amethyst guard rushed in. "Woah are you okay?!" She asked.

To Tourmaline it looked like she was genuinely concerned. Tourmaline glanced at the open door. With her speed she just might make it.

With a quiet "sorry," Tourmaline bolted out the door. She bolted down the hallway only to see guards coming her way. Running the other direction she came across a door. Noticing the control panel, she opened it and ran inside. Panting she looked up to see cubbyholes with Amethysts and Jaspers staring back at her.

" _Really should've thought this through..._ " She thought.


End file.
